Submission (#3033) Approved

Mini-requirement: Depict your Elnin interacting with a human or elseworld creature.

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Quest: Resonance - Act # 1 [RQ-SU-1] Academic Supplier
Act Type: Support
Word Count: 1451
Adult Elnin Present: Elnin name [ELN218]
Regional Affinity: Bellmoril (NOT CLAIMING AP)
Claiming Regional Affinity for: N/A
[Rank Name] Rank Unlock Mini-Requirement: Depict your Elnin interacting with a human or elseworld creature.
(Bellmoril)

The crunch of the vibrant leaves under her paws made her gleeful internally, but she kept her serious face regardless as she trudged down the cobblestone path of the city. On her back was a bundle tied around her tightly, including several rattling jars and a cage with a few bugs that chirped and squeaked in opposition to her movements as the weight pulled at her body. I thought it was just one parcel! She thought to herself in irritation, grumbling as she nearly sideswiped a cart, jumping away at the last moment. Despite the beauty of the perpetual autumn that surrounded the city, her focus shifted to the long line of doors ahead of her, nestled in shops and around corners. The parcels on her back grew heavier and she had to wonder what their purpose was.

            Earlier that morning she had been happy to nap under the windows of their second-floor home above her mother's clothing shop connected with her father's juices and "potions" that he put together as natural healers, like ginger root for stomachs and the like, but was awoken by her dad fretting over some deliveries someone asked him to make. Hanabi hated when he was like that, but since he had returned from that long journey she tried to be nicer to him, given she was one of the few left in the house. Already her brother had grown up, leaving the house to start his own family while she generally babysat for her other two foundling brothers. That was boring and she wanted to do more, and judging by her father's grumblings she at least found a chance to be useful.

            "What is it?" The pink ball of fluff said, wandering downstairs to the source of the wails and groans.

            Her father hovered over boxes sitting in front of the door, including the open cage as he pressed against the strange bugs again, "Just another... set of deliveries they gave all to me by mistake, and things I need to send out... Of course it comes right now during the busy season for stomach ailments and I have waiting customers." He nudged the bugs with a paw. "Quiet!"

            Hanabi chuckled under her breath and wandered to his side. "You know, I could deliver these, if you want."

            Ignis's tail twirled around itself, curled as he pushed his glasses back on his nose to stare down at his daughter. "Are you sure about that? Some of these things are volatile, not to mention these special worms that need to go to the witch over by the city center."

            She sniffed at one of the boxes curiously, scrunching her nose at the overwhelming scent of citrus, but laden with an earthy tone too. "They're in a cage, aren't they? I can just walk them down the street. No problem." She let out a grin, and would shake her tail if she had one but instead settled for an overdramatic set of nods as she moved over to pull the boxes over.

            Ignis stared down at her with a contemplative look, but shook his head again, relenting as the number of orders he had settled over him. It was too much to do both, and Hanabi was the oldest of the kits left in the house. "Alright..." He said, sitting on his haunches to load them up with silk ropes around her. "Just go in order, okay? I'll load them from closest to furthest up here, and there's a list... this one goes to a neighbor, this one is for the tarot reader." He mumbled a few more orders but stopped suddenly, going rigid as he stared back at her. "This is SUPER important, but make sure you don't open ANY of these packages, alright? Just walk, deliver, walk, deliver and when you're done come home."

            She had rolled her eyes then and trotted off into the crisp air.

            Now she had deep regrets as her mind filled with different thoughts of the could-be and the may-be on her back. That thought delighted her - in fact, the idea of any magic delighted her, though she knew how strict it could be. Her father's stories and old tomes made her happy to flip through, though she wasn't the same type of skill as her older brother. Rather, she dabbled in it much like a fairy tale, so her eyes naturally looked up at the clinking bottles in a box, and the shining bugs in the cage and filled her thoughts with curiosities of their purpose. Maybe the bottles are some amazing potions that can turn people into toads! She thought, gleefully though she had to slowly move around another cart pulled by a small horse, stopping at her first house. Is it impolite to ask? She knocked on the door happily and was greeted by an older Elnin with a long beard. However, when asked what it was, he couldn't quite tell and called them "this or that" as he took them graciously. With a soft thank you, he stepped back and she was left with no answers, more questions, and an annoyed look.

            "That was a bust," she muttered to herself as she took off to the next place. The item on top now was for the fortuneteller and her eyes glittered in wonder. She could be carting a crystal ball or mystical stones. Grinning, she thought that maybe she was carrying new cards for the fortuneteller. Her mind soared and she looked up at the purple box that jostled slightly as she moved along, walking carefully to round a corner with a cooked house. Overhead a tree with red and gold leaves made her smile and she stared up at the purple sign with a crystal ball on it as she moved closer. She passed this way often and stared inside at every chance she got, now she pushed the door open with a thud and wandered inside. "Hello?" she said, softly, walking to the nearby wooden counter, staring upward as eye-like stones looked back at her. This is more like it! She thought, turning to pull the box off carefully and slide it on the counter with her paws.

            "Hello?" she repeated but had no response. Her eyes slowly moved to the box, noticing a small ripped patch at the corner of the tape threatening to come undone. Surely, she'd be able to snatch it and yank it clean off quickly and sneak a peek. Her paw wavered but she reached over to it. SLAM! Another set of hands slammed onto the counter and a human woman moved over. "Curious eyes often lose their wonder," she cackled, staring at the little kittom with a knowing stare, “Or their eyes entirely”. Her long pale hair twisted down onto the desk and her bright eyes stared back from under her dark hat. Her long nails slowly slid against the wood and she leaned over to stare down at the small elnin.

            Hanabi felt the knot in her throat. “Y-yeah?” Slowly she moved her paws back and stared back. “I just want to know what it is, since I’m carrying it. And my dad had it so…”

            The woman chuckled and placed her hands on the box. “I know, in his travels your father made some nice connections. I wouldn't go poking into boxes like this,”

            Inside she felt a twist in her stomach, but she frowned, staring back at the box eagerly. “Can’t I get a hint?”

            A moment passed and the woman gave a smirk. “Fine, come and see then…” Slowly, she lowered the box down to the kittom while gently pushing the edge of the corner to be open. There was something more sinister about her demeanor, but there was something else. A shrill noise bothered her ears and there was a dank smell emitting from the box. Hanabi wiggled her nose, staring at it and thinking about her deliveries, staring back at her pile of boxes and thinking of them differently. She’d been so focused on what amazing magical oddities might be, she’d failed to remember the possibility of danger. Stories of princesses, fairies, and magical balls filled her head, but now facing her was Pandora’s box. With alarm bells.

            She relented back from her delivery box. “You know what? I think I’ll just head on to my next delivery!” With a twist of her tail, she carried back out, suddenly looking at the cage on her back warily. “Take care then, darling!” A sinister laugh called as the human witch moved back into her shop. Hanabi dutifully continued with a keen eye on the packages. Maybe magic is more dangerous than I thought.